The warm current is the Gulf Stream, El Niño, Kuroshio. What other currents exist? Why are they called warm? Read more about it below.
Where do currents come from?
Currents are directed flows of water masses. They can have different widths and depths - from a few meters to hundreds of kilometers. Their speed can reach up to 9 km / h. The direction of water flows determines the force of rotation of our planet. Thanks to her, the currents deviate to the right in the Southern Hemisphere, and to the left in the Northern Hemisphere.
Many conditions affect the formation and nature of currents. The reason for their appearance may be the wind, the tidal forces of the Moon and the Sun, different density and temperature, the level of the waters of the oceans. Most often, several factors contribute to the formation of currents at once.
There is a neutral, cold and warm current in the ocean. They are determined as such not because of the temperature of their own water masses, but because of the difference with the temperature of the surrounding waters. This means that the current can be warm, even if its waters are considered cold by many indicators. For example, the Gulf Stream is warm, although its temperaturefluctuates from 4 to 6 degrees, and the temperature of the cold Benguela Current is up to 20 degrees.
A warm current is one that forms near the equator. They form in warm waters and migrate to colder ones. In turn, cold currents move towards the equator. Neutral currents are those that do not differ in temperature from the surrounding waters.
Warm currents
Currents affect the climate of coastal areas. Warm water currents warm the waters of the ocean. They contribute to a mild climate, high humidity and high rainfall. On the shores, next to which warm waters flow, forests form. There are such warm currents of the World Ocean:
Pacific Ocean Basin
- East Australian.
- Alaskan.
- Kuroshio.
- El Niño.
Indian Ocean Basin
Agulyas
Atlantic Ocean Basin
- Irminger.
- Brazilian.
- Guyanese.
- Gulf Stream.
- North Atlantic.
Arctic Ocean Basin
- West Svalbard.
- Norwegian.
- West Greenlandic.
Gulfstream
Warm Atlantic Current, one of the largest in the Northern Hemisphere - the Gulf Stream. It starts in the Gulf of Mexico, flows through the Strait of Florida into the waters of the Atlantic Ocean and moves in a northeasterly direction.
The current carries manyfloating algae and various fish. Its width reaches up to 90 kilometers, and the temperature is 4-6 degrees Celsius. The waters of the Gulf Stream have a bluish tint, contrasting with the surrounding greenish ocean water. It is not homogeneous, and consists of several streams, which can separate from the general flow.
Gulf Stream - the current is warm. Meeting with the cold Labrador current in the Newfoundland area, it contributes to the frequent formation of fogs on the coast. In the very center of the North Atlantic, the Gulf Stream separates, forming the Canary and North Atlantic currents.
El Niño
A warm current is also El Niño, the most powerful current. It is not constant and occurs every few years. Its appearance is accompanied by a sharp increase in water temperature in the surface layers of the ocean. But this is not the only sign of the current El Niño.
Other warm currents of the World Ocean can hardly be compared with the power of influence of this "baby" (as the name of the current is translated). Along with warm waters, the current brings with it heavy winds and hurricanes, fires, droughts, and prolonged rains. Residents of coastal areas are suffering from the damage caused by El Niño. Huge areas are flooded, resulting in the death of crops and livestock.
The current is formed in the Pacific Ocean, in its equatorial part. It stretches along the coasts of Peru and Chile, replacing the cold Humboldt Current. When El Niño occurs, fishermen also suffer. Hiswarm waters trap cold waters (which are rich in plankton) and prevent them from rising to the surface. In this case, the fish does not come to these territories to feed themselves, leaving the fishermen without a catch.
Kuroshio
In the Pacific Ocean, another warm current is the Kuroshio. It flows near the eastern and southern coasts of Japan. Often the current is defined as a continuation of the Northern Trade Wind. The main reason for its formation is the difference in levels between the ocean and the East China Sea.
Flowing between the straits of the Ryukkyu Island, Kuroshio becomes the North Pacific Current, which passes into the Alaska Current off the coast of America.
It has similar features to the Gulf Stream. It forms a whole system of warm currents in the Pacific Ocean, like the Gulf Stream in the Atlantic. Due to this, Kuroshio is an important climate-forming factor, softening the climate of coastal areas. The current also has a strong influence on the water area, being an important hydrobiological factor.
The waters of the Japanese current are characterized by a dark blue color, hence its name "Kuroshio", which translates as "black current" or "dark water". The current reaches a width of 170 kilometers, and its depth is about 700 meters. Kuroshio's speed ranges from 1 to 6 km/h. The water temperature of the current is 25 -28 degrees in the south and about 15 degrees in the north.
Conclusion
The formation of currents is influenced by many factors, and sometimes their combination. A warm flow is a flow whose temperature exceeds the temperaturethe waters surrounding it. In this case, the water during the course can be quite cold. The most famous warm currents are the Gulf Stream, which flows in the Atlantic Ocean, as well as the Pacific Currents Kuroshio and El Niño. The latter occurs periodically, bringing with it a chain of environmental disasters.
